U.S. House, California 27th Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in California's 27th Congressional District?
George Whitesides has the strongest record in California's 27th Congressional District. George Whitesides scores 66 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Jason Gibbs at 56, as of October 9, 2026. George Whitesides's highest marks are courage and relevant experience. Jason Gibbs's highest marks are relevant experience and roots in the constituency. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Republican
Jason Gibbs
56 / 100
Public evidence on 8 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 60
- Performance
- NR
Democratic · incumbent
Strongest record
George Whitesides
66 / 100
Public evidence on 11 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 56
- Qualifications
- 75
- Performance
- 63
The good, the bad and the unresolved
The record
The notable facts of each candidate's public life, each tied to a source and confirmed to be this person. Unresolved matters are labeled with where they stand and do not move a score.
Jason Gibbs
- On the record2026-07
Won election to the Los Angeles Metro board from the North County and San Fernando Valley subregion by one population-weighted vote out of 99, pending countywide ratification.
- On the record2026-07-30
The Los Angeles County City Selection Committee declined to ratify his election to the Metro board by the North County and San Fernando Valley subregion, sending the choice back to the subregion.
- On the record2024-08-19
The Santa Clarita City Council appointed him to the new District 3 seat for a four-year term after no other candidate filed by the Aug. 9 deadline, avoiding a one-candidate election.
Source: SCVNews, Aug. 20, 2024
George Whitesides
- Mark against2025-08-13
Reported a March 27, 2025 sale of Planet Labs stock on a periodic transaction report filed Aug. 13, 2025, 139 days after the trade; the STOCK Act deadline is 45 days.
- Unresolved2021-05-28
Named as a defendant, as former Virgin Galactic CEO, in Lavin v. Virgin Galactic Holdings (E.D.N.Y. 21-cv-3070), a securities class action alleging false statements about the company's readiness for commercial spaceflight.
Where it stands: Pending, no finding against him. Per the court's Feb. 2026 report, claims against him did not survive the 2023 ruling on the second motion to dismiss; the June 2025 amended complaint still names him; an $8.5 million settlement with the company, Branson and Palihapitiya awaits final approval (motion referred Aug. 26, 2026).
Sources: Report and Recommendation, Lavin v. Virgin Galactic (ECF 205, Feb. 24, 2026), CourtListener docket, Lavin v. Virgin Galactic Holdings
- On the record2025-01
Voted Yea on the Laken Riley Act when Leader Jeffries, Whip Clark and Caucus Chair Aguilar voted Nay.
Source: House Clerk Roll Call 6, 2025
- Credit2025-03-28
Sold all single-company stock holdings after taking office, stating on his House filings that the sales were made to avoid conflicts of interest.
Sources: House Clerk periodic transaction report 20030886, House Clerk periodic transaction report 20027982
- Credit
Co-chaired the Antelope Valley Covid-19 Task Force and served on the board of the Antelope Valley Economic Development and Growth Enterprise before his election.
Source: Ballotpedia, George Whitesides
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Jason Gibbs. House candidate financial disclosure filed July 28, 2025; FEC reports on file through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: House Clerk candidate financial disclosure, Filing ID 10071835, FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
George Whitesides. New filer financial disclosure on file with the House Clerk (filed Aug. 13, 2025 after an extension); divested his single-company stocks in March 2025, but one sale was reported 139 days after the trade. No House Ethics matter or FEC fine found.
Sources: House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10071852, House Clerk periodic transaction report 20030886, House Committee on Ethics site search for Whitesides, FEC administrative fines search
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Jason Gibbs. No public record found.
George Whitesides. Voted against his party's leaders on many 2025 and 2026 measures, among them the Laken Riley Act, the HALT Fentanyl Act and a war powers resolution they backed.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 6, 2025, Laken Riley Act, House Clerk Roll Call 33, 2025, HALT Fentanyl Act, House Clerk Roll Call 201, 2026, war powers resolution
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Jason Gibbs. No public record found.
George Whitesides. No public record found.
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Jason Gibbs. Santa Clarita City Council member since December 2020 and mayor in 2023; aerospace engineer before that. No censure or conduct finding found.
George Whitesides. Served as NASA chief of staff and as Virgin Galactic's CEO before entering Congress in 2025. No censure, reprimand or House Ethics Committee matter found.
Sources: Ballotpedia, George Whitesides, House Committee on Ethics site search for Whitesides
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Jason Gibbs. Holds sworn city office on the Santa Clarita City Council. No misuse-of-office finding found.
George Whitesides. Took the oath as NASA chief of staff and as a member of Congress in January 2025, after the January 2021 count. No misuse-of-office finding found.
Sources: Ballotpedia, George Whitesides, GovTrack, George Whitesides
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Jason Gibbs. Santa Clarita council member since 2020 and mayor in 2023; senior principal engineer supporting Delta II, Delta IV and Atlas V launch programs; elected to the Metro board by his subregion in July 2026.
Sources: City of Santa Clarita, Councilmember Jason Gibbs, Streetsblog California, July 15, 2026
George Whitesides. In his first House term since January 2025; earlier NASA chief of staff (a senior federal post) and Virgin Galactic CEO.
Sources: GovTrack, George Whitesides, Wikipedia, George T. Whitesides
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Jason Gibbs. Campaign site states positions on cost of living, public safety, border security, local control and education in general terms.
Source: Campaign site, home page
George Whitesides. Serves on Armed Services (three subcommittees) and Science, Space, and Technology (Space and Aeronautics); publishes issue pages and has introduced bills in those fields. No chair or ranking post.
Source: GovTrack, committee membership
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Jason Gibbs. Publishes plain-language issue sections on his campaign site. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: Campaign site, home page, Ballotpedia, Jason Gibbs (California)
George Whitesides. Offers an e-newsletter and text alerts, publishes issue pages and wrote a Washington Post op-ed on AI safety, per his office. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: Office site, home page, Ballotpedia, George Whitesides
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Jason Gibbs. Has lived in Santa Clarita for nearly a decade and serves on its council and on local nonprofit boards. FEC by-state totals show about 97 percent of itemized individual contributions from California.
Sources: City of Santa Clarita, Councilmember Jason Gibbs, U.S. House office of Rep. Whitesides, district description, FEC contribution totals by state
George Whitesides. Co-chaired the Antelope Valley Covid-19 Task Force and sat on the AV EDGE board before his election. FEC by-state totals show about 51 percent of itemized individual contributions from California.
Sources: Ballotpedia, George Whitesides, FEC contribution totals by state
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Jason Gibbs. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine record found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
George Whitesides. Led Virgin Galactic as CEO until July 2020, per the federal court record, and runs a House office with two district offices; FEC reports on file with no administrative fine.
Sources: Ballotpedia, George Whitesides, U.S. District Court, E.D.N.Y., Lavin v. Virgin Galactic, Report and Recommendation, Feb. 24, 2026, FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Jason Gibbs. No public record found.
George Whitesides. No public record found.
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Jason Gibbs. No public record found.
George Whitesides. Missed 16 of 676 roll call votes, 2.4 percent, from January 2025 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Jason Gibbs. No public record found.
George Whitesides. Runs district offices in Palmdale and Santa Clarita and offers casework with federal agencies. No published casework totals found.
Source: Office site, home page
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Jason Gibbs. No public record found.
George Whitesides. No public record found.
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Jason Gibbs. No public record found.
George Whitesides. No public record found.
How to read this
Each criterion is scored 0 to 4 against the written rubric in the Ballot Standard. NR means no record: there is no reliable public evidence either way, so the criterion is left out and never counts against the candidate. A total is published when at least 8 of 15 criteria have evidence.
A sitting officeholder has a longer public record than a first-time candidate, so the two totals rest on different amounts of evidence. Read the count of criteria beside each score. Low marks require an official finding or a primary record. Allegations and opinion are not used.
No policy position is scored. Evidence checked October 9, 2026. Campaigns and readers can send a correction with a public source to tpg@thepoliticalgroup.com.
Questions
Who should I vote for in California's 27th Congressional District?
George Whitesides has the strongest record in California's 27th Congressional District. George Whitesides scores 66 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Jason Gibbs at 56, as of October 9, 2026. George Whitesides's highest marks are courage and relevant experience. Jason Gibbs's highest marks are relevant experience and roots in the constituency. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Who is running in California's 27th Congressional District in 2026?
Jason Gibbs (Republican), George Whitesides (Democratic, incumbent). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Jason Gibbs a good candidate for Congress?
Jason Gibbs scores 56 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 8 of 15 criteria: character 50 of 100, qualifications 60 of 100, performance no record. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is George Whitesides a good candidate for Congress?
George Whitesides scores 66 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 11 of 15 criteria: character 56 of 100, qualifications 75 of 100, performance 63 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
How is the strongest record decided?
The candidate with the highest Ballot Standard score has the strongest record. Each of 15 criteria on character, qualifications and performance is scored 0 to 4 from public records and established reporting, the same way for every party. No policy position is scored, and unresolved accusations never move a score.
More on this race: every California race scored, the trailing candidate's path to victory, and the California 2026 election guide. Independent scorecard by The Political Group, not affiliated with any candidate or party.